Fire at Wanganui.

Manawatu Times, Volume X, Issue 1223, 28 April 1884, Page 2

Fire at Wanganui.

The citizens of vV'ingan'ni were roused from their peaceful ..slumbers „ early yesterday morning 7by the alarm bell ringing out a fire m No 2 Ward.7 The bell tolled at 15 minutes to three, and Mr Blick (tha night watchman), immediately phoned to the two stations, and Captain Cummins, that there were flames in'the vicinity of tbe Rutland** Hotel. There was only one fireman at the town station, who immediately took out the small reel, and went m search of tfie fire. He went aroiind tp -Wils/m -street, howeveivi tbe i: Other 'members' or thi Brigade on arriv.*"*.); ; _at. .^hej^station were at a loss to know where the fire was. They, :rieV?isth6ld»B,l *o*<)k out one cf the reels and went bunt* ting, and it s was .only, af ter-R-.>me- tinq* spt nt iv a search that tliey discovered Mrs Walker's \ • premises ' m"< 1 tho i Avenue to be,i the scene; rof " -the fire. The Keith street Brigade, ,in^the; : j. meantime, k ,withl! wpnder* ;-*' ful alertness," had got out their- hose, [< and !pioking7 up Captain 'Cummina* :•-* on the way, mahiagett Hdi'be '■ 66 ]< the : -;\ : s|>dt sbpn ; as/ th^iir Wa_j^_tu' :x ' con/reres/- heing- the 'first 'to get any watef on to the building. Owing to the time Tost, the flames had got ,a pretty firm >h6ldi before theyTceml* I. mencpd operations. 1 and! it 'tfa& only ! by most praiseworthy exertions they mahajged to _eep them m checii^ait''' all.- One „hpae ,was,.jgot inat^he ; bagk,;and another, m front, |hft cpmbified; force, jofjtliej two being brought, . to. bear from both: sides of the buM*,'.! /mg. f simultaneously. Fortunately the . ; fire "tfaß kept <?o the building ihwbichy it originated, though the flAmes were ' notr. got" under ' till the'' interibr had ' been completely gutted, hardly i single article being saved, and the/ shop, when daylight broke, presented a melancholy spectacle oi spoliation. Whole shelves full of fabrics were left charred and spoilt, and the upstairs part Pf the building jvas a cbmpfete / wreck. How the fire originated isV matter on which little light can be thrown. Mr Walker, witji three ofthe children, had 'gone to*bed at •'iio'cloct,' and Mrs Walker; with tb* Misses Kennedy and a visitor -to tta> housP i named Stone, rented about,' : midnight,: after haying hadisup-^rja; .a; ropln at the back of the. shop, .Here- 'i it 1 appears -.the; f fire commenced, lot; X.i on Mr Wialker -beiug awoke ! bjr} .7". th.cv r suffocating . Reeling * of -^smdkai -r. at. imhsZ ■ found /• 'impossible I*"''1 *"'' *to.i '•■;- get ido^n tHe ; ' stairs' ' leading 1 ; ' to the (back, from which '&rect-ip# im '; 7fi'amesjCame. He roused the others' inti"' thei?hbuse, T immediately, , but. so* rapidly did/% %re lw&d*j&& Wfc « only escaped with 'difficulty 1 frdni'tH^- L frpht and over the veraij^ah, .ea. 'deshabille. Stone had one of the y ybrfrfg jladies under each— arm, and he managed to get hold of his watch, this being about ati^t&af *'^_i isavM from the^whole. affair. The . stock deatroyq-t/ *w;as : 'a 4 /!yejfy/valfi&_le •* jPharacter^ Ihciumn^ 1 a <! q\*a*_fit^ s bf? n mantles and expensive, fabMeii' etc., and &o learn that Mrs l/Walker^timates her loss; attfrpmy ito' ;! -L6ooo.'i i Ye^ter^yJ.being^:;: Sunday it' wksl^fery^difficultto obtain^ i; full particulars of tfh^iifeii^aricesvbot s< ■as- fay 'as Mrs Walker, can lemember; : : they' amount to ""a ' 'lotail ; of * ; E^fCfOf' 'iciadfern-p as follows :- Ijr- Hatrick [$$& policy of LIOOO m the Northern . :,Ingnrat-c^'-»:^mpal>y^'. o^'gj j Walker had the ! follorwingi amonnts ; o! —LSOO 1 m the Wellingtons Eir*7 ; , Association,' oii 'the sitock'jJ'lilOOO iii a* vßpyat on' i '' ;! t'iie''' ,: '6t'6'ck''^B2iOo> a« m th'e j RoyaL-on^ili^Jl^^tM^ 1 arid' fixtures ;. LSOQ.^ m the Na« ,'ti'dnal"j' pn^ <the^tbuy^JLsop linpeijiai on the stocky J6IQOQ ir^ ~ the Imperial on tlf^^k^^epAMt^ policy),; Mrs Walker thinks the „ policy of £500 WW^^l^m^l i lapsed, tifhich.would leaVs~a~total of £4200. j Wl- tiftd^rs'tand* that- &%&&A i portions: of ,^hep|^9iea.%re>reu}s^e^ 0 t The building was only Jtl ]^ougffit m , /September last far,L93o.; and there "was fromMto^W^m'^ o^^^ lease.-Cfironici^^ ™* *?" "' m X\{™ .- ;' '."UHi.O. -Uiii; ..Uil*j-!.-jiUiUi.-.J 'rut!.